A Different Beggining
by LunaFire1198
Summary: What if Severus picked up Harry at the Dursleys before first year and not Hagrid? What would be different? What would be the same? What would happen if Harry got to escape from the Dursleys and live with Severus? Read to find out. Slightly A/U, with slightly OOC Severus/Harry and maybe some others. Possible slash. Abuse.


**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!**

**A/N: I hope you enjoy this story. It's not my first story, but it's my first time doing this type of story; I've never tried to do the Harry Potter story my way, but I am now. I'm going to repeat that I do NOT own Harry Potter because my last story was deleted and I don't want that happening again.**

I woke up with a groan and sit up slowly, being careful not to jostle my ribs. Once I had successfully sat up, I quickly checked to see how much more damage my Uncle had inflicted the night before when I had dropped that glass plate and it broke. My hands were slightly scratched up from picking up the shards with bare hands, but nothing major. I felt the back of my head and feel dried up blood, so I might have another concussion. My arms aren't that bad, and neither are my legs; just a bit banged up. I feel at my stomach and guess that my Uncle broke at least one other rib, along with the two he had broken a few days previously. I continue checking, to see if there was anything too major, but I couldn't find anything, so I just sat in bed, waiting for my Aunt to rap on the door and tell me to make breakfast. After waiting for at least an hour, I try to open the door, only to find out it is locked from the outside. I groan again, and lean my head against the wall. I was locked in, again. Last time was a month ago, and I was stuck in here for two weeks. I'm just glad it's summer so I don't have to deal with school and the teachers hating me all over again. I may be starting a new school in the fall and I won't have to deal with Dudley since he's going to a private school and I'm going to the public school, but I have no doubt in my mind that all the kids and teachers will act exactly the same to me as they always have. Every teacher I've ever had has always looked to me as if I was a hooligan since I missed so much school and had such terrible grades. They may not know that I miss so much school so that they don't find out about the beatings and that I have such bad grades because if I score higher then Dudley in anything I'll get beaten, but they still have no right to treat me the way I do. The children are always bullies to me; the ones that aren't get bullied themselves until they change their treatment of me. I'm the odd one out, all because I'm a freak. I've been told it by everyone; Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, Aunt Marge, Dudley, The kids at school, The teachers, the other families in the neighborhood, even some random people on the streets and some colleagues of Uncle Vernon. If someone didn't believe that I was a freak, one look at my back would tell them otherwise; when I was six, Uncle Vernon branded the word "FREAK" into my back after I ended up on the roof of the school building when Dudley and his gang were chasing me. It hurt for weeks, but I slowly got used to it. Now I'll always have the reminder of what I am haunting me, no matter where I am or who I'm with. It's been almost five years since then. I'm turning eleven in a week, not that it matters. I never get any presents or any form of celebration; Dudley, on the other hand, always gets tons of presents and gets to do whatever and go wherever he wants on his birthday. This year, he wanted to go to the zoo, and Mrs. Figg, the old cat lady who lived down the street, couldn't watch me because she broke her leg. So, much to the dismay of my family and Dudley's rat-faced friend Pierre, I had to come with. The day started out really well; I got a lemon Popsicle and the rest of Dudley's icecream since he "didn't get enough", and then we went to the reptile exhibit. Dudley and Pierre tried to wake up a Boa Constrictor before they gave up and went to look at the rest of the snakes. I walked up to the Boa, and I started talking to it, and he seemed to understand me, and then Pierre saw me and told Dudley and they ran up to the glass but then, seconds later, the glass was gone and the snake was out. I got blamed for it, and got locked in the cupboard for two weeks. That all happened a month ago. With those memories swimming in my head, I slowly fall into a pitiful sleep.

I nearly jump when I hear someone knocking at the front door. I blink and fell around for my glasses since I couldn't see anything. Once I found them, I put them on my face. I put my ear up to the cupboard door just in time to hear Aunt Petunia open the door.

"Hello. Who are you?" I hear ask politely. I guess she wasn't expecting visitors.

"Are you Petunia Dursley?" I hear an unfamiliar voice ask. I guess she must had nodded because he spoke again. "My name is Severus Snape, may I come in?" He speaks very politely, but there's an edge to his voice that suggests that he would rather be anywhere but here.

"Of Course, but first, may I ask why you are here?" I hear my Aunt timidly ask as she lets the mad inside.

"I am here to speak with you and you husband about our nephew, Harry Potter," I hear him, Severus, respond. My heart skips a beat; I rarely hear my full name outside of school, and even then it's usually just Potter, even from teachers.

I hear Aunt Petunia stop in her tracks for a second before calling for Uncle Vernon, who was probably still upstairs since it was a Sunday, the only day of the week he was off. I hear my Uncle climb down the stairs, asking what's wrong. I quickly shake the dust out of my hair from my Uncle walking down the stairs before I continue to listen to the conversation.

"There's a man here, Vernon, who wants to talk to us about Harry," I can almost hear the venom in Aunt Petunia's voice when she said my first name.

"What has the boy done now?" I hear Uncle Vernon ask, anger evident in his tone. I wince, slightly glad I was locked up right now.

"It is nothing 'the boy' has done. I am here to talk to you about his schooling." Severus says, and I could hear the sarcasm when he said "the boy".

"His schooling? What about his schooling? He's going to Stonewall High this fall." I hear Uncle Vernon say, both curious and angry.

"Harry has been accepted into Hogwarts, a school of witchcraft and wizardry. I have come to inform you of this, and give you his acceptance letter before I took him shopping for his school supplies."

"WE ARE NOT SENDING HIM TO THAT FREAK SCHOOL!" I hear my Uncle yell. I wince. "I WILL NOT PAY TO HAVE HIM LEARN TO BECOME A BIGGER FREAK THEN HE ALREADY IS!"

"A freak, you say? How is your nephew a freak? Because he's a wizard? Because he can wield magic?" My breathe hitches in my throat when I hear him say that. "Where is your nephew?" I can almost hear the anger in Severus's words. I unconsciously lean closer into the door, and I can hear my Uncle's labored breathing, probably from yelling earlier.

I hear my Aunt squeak before she shakily says,"Under the st-tairs, in the cup...cupboard."

"Cupboard? And why is your nephew in a cupboard." I hear Severus ask in a deadly-calm voice.

"Because I locked him in there last night after he broke one of our best dinner plates. It's also his room, but it's way more then he deserves," I hear Uncle Vernon growl out. The next thing I hear is a loud thump before my Aunt Petunia screams. I hear someone coming towards the cupboard door. I quickly hurry back against the wall, and hope that it's Severus coming to the door, not Uncle Vernon. I'm nearly hyperventilating when I hear the lock click. I hear the doorknob turn and I hold my breath. As light comes flooding in, I see a man I don't recognize on the other side, and I release the breath I had been holding, glad that it wasn't Uncle Vernon.

"Come here, I promise I won't hurt you," I hear him say. I look into his eyes, and when I determine that he's being sincere and isn't lying, I timidly crawl out of the cupboard and the man helps me up. He crouches down so he's eye-level with me. "My name is Severus Snape, and I'm going to take you somewhere safe. I promise they won't hurt you ever again." I hopefully into his eyes, which look as sincere and his voice sounded. He gave me a small smile, which I slowly returned.

"Really? You really promise they won't hurt me again?" He nods. "Won't I have to come back?" I asked

fearfully. "My Aunt and Uncle are my only living relatives, my parents died when I was a baby. Where would I go?" I start to hyperventilate.

"Shhh...Calm down, Harry, you won't have to come back. You will live with me unless we find you a different guardian that won't hurt you." Severus says in a calming manner. I slowly gain control of my breathing.

"I would live with you?" I ask, trying to hide the hope in my voice. He nods slightly. A big smile spread across my face. "I would never have to come back?" He shakes his head. I jump towards hims and hug him tightly, saying "Thank you" over and over again. He lifts me up and carries me out of the front door. I can hear my Aunt yelling something in the background but I'm too happy to pay attention to what she's saying. The next thing I know, I'm spinning really fast and it feels like I'm being squeezed through a very small tube. When it stops, I swallow some vomit that made it's way up my throat and I look up in awe at the magnificent castle in front of me.

"Harry, Welcome to Hogwarts." I hear Severus say.


End file.
